Vranjes’ era at SG Flensburg-Handewitt comes to an end

Rumours that head coach Ljubomir Vranjes’ time at the helm of German VELUX EHF Champions League participants SG Flensburg-Handewitt would come to an end soon had been flying around for many weeks.

However, it was only on Wednesday that the coach and the club confirmed the departure. Vranjes’ contract with SG Flensburg-Handewitt will end on 30 June 2017; his coaching career will then continue at Hungarian champions Telekom Veszprém.

“Today my transfer to Veszprem was officially announced,” Vranjes wrote on his personal Facebook page.

“As you can imagine, the last few months have been very emotional for me and my wife, since October we have been having many sleepless nights thinking about what is the best decision for our family!

“I had to take one of the most difficult decisions in my life. At the end I decided to take up the challenge. You cannot always plan your life, some things you just cannot influence, it doesn’t matter if it is a private or a professional thing.

"It's time for me and the SG to find new ways. There are several reasons why I have asked for an early release, the most important reason is about my private life.

"Therefore, I thank the SG that they were accommodating in this. I will live near my Serbian family and many friends. My parents have grown old and I want to live closer to them in the future.”

"Fully committed to his work"

Vranjes first played for SG Flensburg-Handewitt from 2006 to 2009. He was then the sports director and from 2010 onwards the club’s head coach.

His major success came in 2014 when he won the VELUX EHF Champions League with the club from northern Germany. He also steered them to victory in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 2012 and in the German cup in 2015.

In September 2015 Vranjes’ contract had been extended until 2020.

“Following lengthy and intense discussions, the club and its board have come to the conclusion to grant Ljubomir Vranjes the release from his contract that he asked for,” said the club’s managing director Dierk Schmäschke in a media release.

“Over the past years, Ljubo has done a very professional job and had some great success with the team. And he will be fully committed to continue his work until the end of the season.

“We will not make any public comments about the search for a potential successor and the timeframe for this search. Fans and supporters of our SG can rest assured that in the team’s interest we will look for the best possible solution that will keep the club among Europe’s best also in the future."

"We still have very high ambitions for this season that we want to achieve. After we spent so many years with Ljubo, saying goodbye is not easy at all, but we will only think about his farewell and the new season when it is actually happening,” said the club’s captain Tobias Karlsson.

“We trust the club to find a good successor for Ljubo.“